Writing Assignment #3 - Media Past Meets Media Present - Allison Medeiros
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Allison Medeiros
COM 410
Professor Renee Hobbs
Writing Assignment #3
Media Past Meets Media Present
It can be agreed on, throughout the country, that turning sixteen is an important time in a
teen’s life. For girls, turning sixteen means an elaborate party with all your family and friends
celebrating with you, or so it was back in 2005. However, these days in 2012, turning sixteen
could mean being a parent already. On the television network MTV, bothreality TV programs,
My Super Sweet 16 and 16 and Pregnant, targeted younger teens and specialized in showing the
lives of sixteen-year-old girls, but held very different values.
In the year 2005, there was the show,My Super Sweet 16 that focused on girls turning
sixteen and having atremendous, but sometimes over the top, celebration. Although it is assumed
boys were allowed to be on the show, the episodes mostly consisted of girls. The show followed
one or two girls around (per episode) as they are planning their party. The camera crew would
follow the teens to hair appointments, flower appointments, shopping trips (both clothing and
party accessories), meetings with the entertainment, and even when they went to school to pass
out invitations.Most parties had the same type of concept; each girl needed to have the biggest,
the best, and the coolest party. There was always live entertainment, whether it was a live DJ or
band, there was the best food catered, and the celebration was at a very fancy or expensive
location. The teens would beg, whine, and argue with their parents to have everything they
wanted for their party. The show was full of drama yet excitement; many viewers watched to see
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the dramatic breakdowns some girls would have and because they wanted to see the outcome of
the party.
My Super Sweet 16 was notorious for how the show depicted those casted. The show
depicted the girls as snobby, controlling, uncompromising and unmanageable teens. Each
episode had a teen girl crying or yelling if the party was not being planned to their liking.
However, this showed young teens watching the show that it is acceptable to be unreasonable
when things did not go their way. Also, since the girls in the show only invited a select few to
their party, the show was teaching the young viewers that popularity and having the best party is
the key to surviving high school. During these parties there were also scenes of the teens dancing
inappropriately for their age. The young viewers were exposed to mild sexual content, but sexual
content nonetheless. The show also depicted the parents as pushovers that did not have control
over their teenage children. During this time period, it was a fear that parents were slowly losing
control over their children. The value of still having an impact on their children’s lives was
slowly disappearing.
Today, MTV airs a show called 16 and Pregnant, whichis about sixteen-year-old girls
going through pregnancy. This show, like My Super Sweet 16, follows several teens at a time,
sharing their story. However, the whole season followsfive or six teens throughout their
pregnancy, instead of just one episode focusing on one teen. The show would follow the girls
through any and every challenge they encountered; from telling their parents, friends, and the
father of their baby they are pregnant to the ultrasounds and doctor’s appointments to going to
school to the actual birth. One of the challenges portrayed on the show were if the girls did well
in school or received their diploma while dealing with the consequences of pregnancy. Most girls
on the show had to drop out or take a leave of absence to take care of themselves. Also, some
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girls were kicked out of their homes when they revealed they were pregnant. Those girls would
either have to live on their own or at a friend’s house. Lastly, another common challenge was
getting the support from the teen that fathered their child. Many girls on the show tried to stay in
the relationship with the boy they were dating but had little success. Likewise, some of the
fathers wanted nothing to do with the pregnancy and abandoned the teen girl. Although the show
depicted many of the challenges the girls faced, not all girls had a rough time. Some families
were accepting of the pregnancy and helped the teen girl as much as they could.
16 and Pregnant is a controversial show in whether the show is endorsing teen pregnancy
or showing the reality and struggles of being a teen parent.Those against the show think the
program is promoting teen pregnancy by making it appear that the girls have an easy life even
though they are pregnant. Since some parents were helping and understanding, this may appear
to the young teens watching the show that having a baby may actually be exciting and could
work out for them. The viewers may have the mentality, “if she could do it on the show, than I
could do it too.” On the reverse side, the show could be inspirational for those teens that have
become young parents. The show may have the girls in certain support programs and educate the
teen parents that were watching the program. However, depicting the different challenges could
scare teens off from wanting to be a young parent.
Though the two MTV programs are similar in the fact that they both depict the lives of
sixteen-year-olds, they differ in the values that drove the show to existence. In 2005 while My
Super Sweet 16 was on the air, it appeared that the main concern in teens’ lives were to be
accepted, remembered, and popular. The program also showed that having a great sum of money
in your family was also preferred at that time. If you were in a wealthy family then you were
likely to be popular and have extravagant parties.Also during this time, the extent of sexual
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content in the show was the teens dancing extremely close and inappropriately in front of family
and the nationwide audience. For the most part parents were not too worried about their teens
begging and arguing for an extreme and irrational birthday party. Still, as mentioned before,
parents faced the reality of slowing losing control and importance in their child’s life.
Today, the program 16 and Pregnant, represents the commonality of teens becoming
pregnant and how it is more acceptable in this time era. It is not to say that teens were not getting
pregnant back in 2005, but it was more frowned upon in that time. Society would have been
more appalled than accepting if there was a show about such a topic back then. However, since it
is a popular topic in today’s world, the media industry took this opportunity to make a successful
television program and produce mass amounts of money from it.
My Super Sweet 16 and 16 and Pregnant were both popular MTV shows in their own
times. Although the two television programs are similar in type and both focus on sixteen-year-
olds, the values in each differed and fitted their time era and the norms of society.
